Originally from Ecuador, violinist Alba Schoonmaker comes from a family of professional musicians. Performing from a young age, she made her solo debut with the National Symphony Orchestra of Ecuador at the age of 13. In the 2025/26 Season, she held an Acting Concertmaster position at the Illinois Symphony Orchestra and was a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. In 2024, she was a Grant Park Music Festival Violin Fellow. Prior to moving to the United States in 2018, Schoonmaker was a section violinist with Symphony Orchestra of Guayaquil and appeared with the ensemble as soloist four times between 2012 and 2019. Noteworthy performances include Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra concerts featuring Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 and appearing as a substitute musician with the Chicago Symphony, Grant Park, and Music of the Baroque orchestras. Schoonmaker was also a musician for Louisiana Public Broadcasting’s Ziggy’s Arts Adventures and performed on concert broadcasts on TVeo Canal Regional in Mexico and the Ecuavisa news channel in Ecuador. She holds a Master of Music degree from Northwestern University, and a Bachelor of Music degree from Louisiana State University. Since 2024, Schoonmaker has performed on a 1974 Sergio Peresson violin and an Émile Ouchard bow, generously loaned by the Stradivari Society at Bein & Fushi. Her mentors include Desirée Ruhstrat and Espen Lilleslåtten.
Alba Schoonmaker
